With the help of a newly founded subsidiary, E.ON will in the future be converting electricity pylons throughout Germany so that they can also be used as radio pylons for the 4G/5G mobile network. The new company ‘E.ON TowerCo GmbH’ is thus driving digitization in Germany and preparing for the rollout of the mobile network of the future.
E.ON has more than 100,000 high-voltage and medium-voltage towers across Germany, that could additionally be potential radio masts. Roofs of the Group's own real estate and land are also included in the planning process. At locations where conversion is not possible for technical reasons, new construction of additional radio masts is planned.
Stable mobile coverage
Combining existing power poles with mobile communications facilities is more sustainable"
“We are using our existing infrastructure to improve mobile communications in Germany in order to eliminate ‘white spots’ in network coverage quickly and cost-effectively,” says Bernd Böddeling, Senior Vice President at E.ON SE, responsible for the German network business.
Bernd Böddeling adds, "Combining existing power poles with mobile communications facilities is also more sustainable than building new ones. Stable mobile coverage is also an important factor in value creation, especially in rural regions."
Benefits of existing power poles
There are clear advantages to converting existing power poles: The construction and approval process for new radio masts can take months.
In contrast, no approval is required for the use of existing power poles. Once E.ON has made the appropriate modifications, digitization will reach remote areas much more quickly.
Improving mobile communications
Currently, ‘E.ON TowerCo GmbH’ is preparing several pilot projects. These are also planned in the vicinity of highways and railroad lines to improve mobile communications coverage of traffic routes.
Negotiations and contracts are currently being concluded with several mobile network operators. The first projects are scheduled to go into operation in 2022. The managing directors of ‘E.ON TowerCo GmbH’ are Carsten Lagemann and Stephan Drescher.
